Page 76 of Fight For Her
He nuzzled his face in my hair and laughed. “Surprise.”
I ended up giving him the key to my apartment so he could go shower and get some rest. He said he’d make it up to me later, to which I replied, “it better be good.” Even though just having him here was enough for me. I scrambled back inside before the receptionist had a chance to spread rumors about me and Coby. Judging by the looks I got on the way to my desk, that ship had sailed.
Incredible scents of rich tomato sauce and herbs led me up the stairs to my short term rental apartment. I hoped he’d ordered take-out because he was clearly exhausted and needed to rest, not cook a whole meal. I went inside and found Coby in low slung sweatpants and a cut off T-shirt bent over to check something in the oven.
“I’m enjoying the view,” I said with a whistle. He turned, giving me that gorgeous smile of his. The one that made both his dimples pop. A rush of warmth filled me from head to toe. “Whatever you made smells amazing.”
“Oh, it came highly recommended. A recipe from Shawn, he chuckled saying I couldn’t go wrong with his lasagna recipe. It better be good with the way he gushed about it.” I laughed, remembering the lasagna story from Mia and Shawn’s first real date. Coby quirked a brow. “Maybe I don’t want to ask?”
“Yeah, it’s probably for the best.”
He ushered me into the dining area, where he’d set the table with candles and fresh flowers. This was a side of Coby I hadn’t seen and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t loving it.
“Maybe we can skip dinner and get straight to dessert,” I called into the kitchen. It had been too long, although with Coby, a few hours was too long for me. It was hard to believe after my terrible luck with men, that I was this happy.
“No Ma’am. I know you’ve been living on trail mix and take-out.” He came into the room holding two plates, set them down, and went back in for a bowl of salad and a bottle of wine. “Let’s eat and talk. I’ve missed looking at your gorgeous face.”
Heat made its way up my neck and I’m sure he noticed. “I’ve missed your face too, especially when you’re being sweet.” That drew a smirk out of him. He poured me some wine and I took my first bite. “Oh my God, Shawn wasn’t kidding,” I said as I finished chewing.
“This is damn good. Glad I took his advice.” Coby swallowed a bite and took a sip of wine. “I know I said it earlier, but I’m so fucking sorry, baby. I acted like a complete asshole. It’s like sometimes, I can feel this small part of my father trying to creep its way out of me, you know?”
“I actually understand perfectly. There’s times where I catch myself being way too Melanie Edwards, and I mentally check myself before correcting whatever it was that I was doing.” It was true, sometimes, even though we fought those parts of ourselves, they could creep out if we didn’t catch them. “I’m sorry my friendly interaction with my client triggered you, but don’t ever raise your voice at me again, okay?”
“I won’t. I never, ever want to be like him.” He reached out for my hand, tracing circles with his thumb. “When I saw that guy touching you, it reminded me of Amy. We haven’t talked about her much. But I know I’ve mentioned her when we first met.”
“Amy, yeah. You’re ex-wife?” He hadn’t said much about her other than they split almost ten years ago.
“That’s her.” I squeezed his palm, urging him to go on. “She left me for some rich guy, didn’t even wait for the annulment to go through. It was right after I brought her home to Wyoming to meet my family. It,” he hesitated, “it didn’t go well. Let’s just say my father and Clyde weren’t on their best behavior. After that visit, I hadn’t been back until recently.”
He sat back in his chair and sipped his wine. He hadn’t seen his family in almost ten years. As much as my mother drove me crazy, I couldn’t imagine not seeing her in years.
“I’m not Amy, you know that right? Like I said back at the inn, you’re not two separate people, past and present you are the same and I love all of you.”
His smile reached his eyes, “I wouldn’t say I’m the same, but I’m trying. I want to be good enough for you. This is hard, the distance most of all but also trying to be a better person, be someone you deserve.”
“Coby,” I started, before he leaned across the table and planted a kiss to my lips. “Are you going to kiss me every time I try to argue with you?” I laughed, once we broke apart.
“I read that kissing helps couples communicate better. Some psychology blog.” His thick brows wiggled and I knew he was full of crap.
“Oh really? I may need to check your sources.” Between the wine and him being here my head was dizzy with giddiness. I stood, gesturing toward my bedroom. “Right now.”
“Thank God.” He pushed up and lifted me into his arms, kissing me until I was breathless. “I’m an open book, check any source you want.”
We spent the rest of the weekend working on our communication. Thoroughly. It may have been the mostcommunicationI’d gotten in years. But the time passed too quickly and I could sense the dread he had at having to leave me again.
“I don’t want to go, baby,” he said wrapping me in a hug. We stood by my apartment door, where we’d been dragging out our goodbyes for the past twenty minutes. The lights were dim and already the place carried an empty feeling and he hadn’t stepped outside yet.
I let his scent seep into my clothes, knowing it would be weeks or more until I’d be comforted by his smell again. “I wish you didn’t have to.”
Something like a spark flashed in his eyes and he tipped my chin up for a light kiss, keeping his palm there. “I’ll move here. If you want me to?”
“You’d move for me? Leave Palm Cove? What about your practice and the gym?” I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming.
“I’d do anything for you.” He wet his lips and continued in a quiet voice. “They don’t matter to me as much as you do. Nothing does.”
Pushing up on my tiptoes, I planted a kiss on his chin, then his dimples, before brushing my lips against his. “I love you so much. Let’s talk about this when you get back, okay?”
He nodded and pressed his lips to mine again, before opening the door. “I’ll call you once I’m through security.”
